Jay Penske, CEO of Variety’s parent company PMC, also attended along with Variety publisher Michelle-Sobrino Stearns and editor-in-chief of film Claudia Eller, who introduced Kavanaugh. She credited Kavanaugh for being the only one to build a successful multimedia studio since DreamWorks was founded 20 years ago.

“Hollywood is supposed to be a place where dreams are born,” said Kavanaugh in his opening remarks. He said he looked at the success of his business as an indicator of growth in the film industry.

Kavanaugh told Variety that Relativity will release 13 films this year, a record for the studio, and 15 next year. He said that he started Relativity 10 years ago because he saw a need in the market for a film company with financial discipline.

“There’s more Wall Street money here, a lot of bankers are here,” Kavanaugh said, gauging the temperature of this year’s Cannes Film Festival. “We went through a cycle of a lot of Wall Street investment in Hollywood and they got smart, they saw what worked. People are getting more interested in movies again.”

Saldana, who appeared in the Relativity release “Out of the Furnace,” talked about the studio’s intimate approach with filmmakers. “You‘ll call them and they’ll make time for you,” Saldana said. “I’ve been really fortunate to know they are my friends.”